The Sick Devil
by KurenoxArisaxx
Summary: Chizuru collapses one day while out on patrol with the Shinsengumi and a certain demon leader is given the duty of nursing her back to health. Pointless Hijikata x Chizuru fluff. Takes place in the first season of the anime.


**_Disclaimer: Hakuouki and the characters don't belong to me. Proper credit goes to creator of Hakuouki series_**

**_After writing my last Hakuouki fic and getting such positive feedback, I've been itching to write another. Hope you guys enjoy. I have plenty of other fic ideas for this series so I'm sure they'll be more Hakuouki stories to come after this. Reviews are appreciated!_**

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"...What the hell happened here?" Toshizo Hijikata, demon Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi shot the darkest, most irritated, fear-inducing glare at two of his men and the pale-as-a-ghost figure of Chizuru that was being held by one of them. Tenth unit leader Sanosuke Harada and second unit leader Shinpachi Nagakura stood before their terrifying leader with their heads hung over as if they were children who were just about to be grounded by their strict father.

"I swear, it wasn't our fault, Hiji-"

"Shinpachi, men shouldn't make excuses."

"Oh...ri-right." Nagakura tried to laugh off his former remark but Hijikata's satanic stare was enough to steal his voice away in an instant.

There was a perfectly good reason for this though. As always, the day had started off like any other for the Shinsengumi. Chizuru Yukimura had gone out with the Mibu Wolves on their patrol in hopes of learning something about her missing father. Harada had almost finished his patrol when...

"Chizuru suddenly collapsed right before we finished up our rounds. She has a really high fever, Hijikata-san. I think she's been pushing herself too hard lately." Harada explained, trying to put on his most innocent face ever, "She's flat-out exhausted."

"B-Besides, I think I remember Chizuru mentioning something about having a bad headaches these last few days. Probably because you've been too hard on her again-"

Sano's eyes nearly shot out of his skull at his small-minded friend's comment, "Shinpachi!"

When said man saw the dark aura radiating off of the furious Hijikata grow in size, Nagakura felt his stomach drop to his feet, "Aww, screw me in the..."

Just when Harada and Shinpachi were sure their leader would command they perform _seppuku_ right there in the doorway, Hijikata sighed loudly and pointed down the hall, "Take the child to her room so she can rest. In the meantime, I will see if Kondou-san can contact Dr. Matsumoto."

Before the two warrior brothers could say anything more, their demon leader had gone off in search of the Shinsengumi's captain. Shinpachi frowned sadly at Chizuru who was still breathing heavily in Harada's arms,

"Don't worry, Chizuru-chan. We'll take you to your room so you can get caught up on some Zzzs."

"Then I'll see about making you some warm stew to help with that cough of yours. Sound good?" Harada smiled pitifully when he heard Chizuru mumble something through her high fever that appeared to be eating away at her.

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**_~xXx~  
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An hour later, Chizuru had been fed a little food and placed down for a nap. Shinpachi and Harada, now finished with their duties given to them by Hijikata, stood outside the girl's door wondering what to do next.

"I wonder if they were able to contact that Matsumoto guy. Don't know how much good it will do, but still..."

Harada, who leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, flashed a weird look at his friend, "What do you mean? Matsumoto is a respected physician. Of course he'll be able to do something for Chizuru's illness."

"Well yeah, but he didn't even bother to completely look me over during our checkups. I mean, what doctor turns down examining THIS?" Shinpachi lifted one of his extremely toned arms and kissed the muscle.

Harada had to choke back a laugh at how foolish the narcissistic man looked, "Shinpachi, you should really think before you speak. I mean, to me it just sounds like you're desperate to have another man look at you stark naked. Who are you; Ittou-san?"

Shinpachi nearly shot into the ceiling at the comment. The second captain prepared to give Harada the biggest screaming fit of his life until Hijikata, Kondou, and Saito suddenly appeared before the two men with unhappy faces.

"How is Yukimura-kun?" Asked Saito who looked towards the closed door. Harada gave the three a run-down of what they'd done and how Chizuru now appeared to be peacefully sleeping away in her bed.

"She still has one hell of a fever though," Shinpachi sighed, "I swear, her forehead could cook us some damn good grilled fish."

Kondou snorted in amusement, scratching his head at the thought of such a sight. Meanwhile Hijikata shook his head and walked towards the door. He reached out to slide the door open when Harada spotted something in his hand. Something in which he hadn't seen Hijikata with since they left their old dojo back in the country side.

"Is that a...medicine box, Hijikata-san?"

The older man flinched and silently cursed the fact that he'd been noticed. Coughing awkwardly, Hijikata avoided eye contact and looked to the side, "We couldn't contact Matsumoto and Yamazaki is out on a mission. So Kondou-san suggested that I...take a look at the girl instead."

Both Harada and Shinpachi shot looks at their top commander who responded with a nervous laugh. Kondou walked over and gave Hijikata a cheerful pat on the shoulder,

"Toshi, I'm sure Yukimura-kun will get better far sooner if you look after her and give her some of your famous medicine. We shall see you later."

Before the demon man could say anything else, both Kondou and Saito were pulling the other two Mibu wolves away with them. As they vanished down the hallway from his sight, Hijikata heard confused growls come from Harada and Shinpachi,

"W-Wait, are you sure Chizuru-chan will be okay being alone with Hijikata-san?"

"I know he has medical knowledge but is this enough for Chizuru?!"

"Now, now, you two. I know Toshi will take care of her just fine. He's very capable and kind when he needs to be."

"PFFFT-HA!"

"Kondou-san, are you drunk by any chance?"

Hijikata twitched at the last remark that hit his ears and clenched his teeth in annoyance. In truth, he had no desire whatsoever to do this. But they couldn't get Matsumoto or any other doctor to come take a look at Chizuru, and it wasn't as if they could just let the girl suffer with whatever illness she had. The least they could do was have the only person with any medical knowledge look her over and give her some form of treatment.

"This wasn't in my job description..." Came the sour complaint as Hijikata shoved open the door and walked in. The Shinsengumi warrior felt his lavender orbs instantly wander to the futon that was spread out in the middle of the room. Chizuru laid sound asleep in it, the blanket covering all the way up to her nose making it difficult for Hijikata to see her flushed cheeks. Despite that, he noticed the girl's chest rising up and down at a heavy pace, proving to him that she was having slight trouble breathing. She was most likely stuffed up as well. A high fever, stuffy nose, heavy breathing, dizziness; In the end, Hijikata decided that it must have been either a terrible cold or a light case of the flu that the girl had contracted.

The Shinsengumi Vice-Commander tried to be as quiet as possible as he made his way over to the left side of Chizuru's bed and sat down. He placed the medicine box before him and began searching through it. After a moment, he pulled out a small pack of something. He tore open the top and looked down at the pathetic girl. Shinpachi and Harada hadn't been kidding when they'd said she had a high fever. Up close, Toshizo could see that the female's face was as red as a Fury's eyes. Without telling his arm to, he reached out and let his skin clash with the girl's forehead. He flinched slightly when he felt the intense heat and pulled back.

"Idiot girl," He snarled, leaning towards her a little more. Without realizing it himself, Hijikata's expression softened quite a bit at the sight of the ill Chizuru, "If you didn't feel well for the last few days, you should have just said something."

Hijikata was just about to give Chizuru the medicine when the girl's eyes suddenly fluttered open and shot over to him. The stoic man pulled back quickly and his eyes widened a great deal. Chizuru simply looked at him, confused as to why he was in her room,

"H-Hijikata-san...? Why-"

The man tried to hide his embarrassment and pretended to act as he normally did. Toshizo played with the medicine pack in his hand, somewhat nervously but kept a steady tone, "We were unable to get a doctor to come over and take a look at you. So, Kondou-san suggested that you take some of my family's medicine..."

Chizuru's eyes became the size of watermelons at hearing "family medicine". Without warning, the sick Devil instantly sat up in her bed and began flailing her hands about,

"Oh, y-you don't have to go to all that trouble, Hijikata-san. I'll be fine if I just rest..."

A vein appeared on Hijikata's forehead, "Oh really? Is that what you thought a few days ago when you began having those headaches?"

A guilty frown weighed down Chizuru's lips as she looked down as if she were a child just scolded by her father, "W-Well...I didn't want to trouble anyone..."

The Vice Commander rolled his eyes in annoyance. He then threw the bag quite violently at Chizuru and ordered she take some immediately.

"Hijikata-san-" But the female Devil's protest was cut short when her voice was scared out of her by the older man's glare. Chizuru poured some of the strange medicine powder into her hand and gulped it down. The taste hit the back of her throat like a knife. She couldn't pinpoint what it was about the taste itself, but the medicine was something she didn't wish to take twice. It was plain, yet it was also...honestly quite disgusting. But if it helped her feel better, then that's all that mattered.

"Thank you, Hijikata-san." Chizuru did her best to bow in her sitting position before handing the medicine pack back to him with a thankful smile.

Hijikata shut his medicine box, eager to get out of that room ASAP. The man stood up and started towards the door, "Well then, just get some rest and you'll be-" But the Mibu wolf stopped in his tracks when violent little coughs suddenly escaped Kodo's daughter. Toshi silently cursed to himself.

"Me and my damn luck..." Hijikata made a b-line and resat himself at Chizuru's bedside. The female was about to ask his reason for remaining when he cut her off yet again, "Just shut up and lay back down. I'll stay here until you go back to sleep."

The Yukimura child nodded and laid back down. However, instead of going right back to sleep like Hijikata desperately wanted, Chizuru's coughs worsened and soon turned into pained hacks. Just when the cruel man didn't think things could get any worst, Chizuru suddenly shot up from her bed.

"What are you-" But before Toshi could complete his sentence, the girl rushed over to the door that lead outside onto the porch, went outside, leaned over the porch's edge and let loose all the things she had eaten that day.

"Shit...!"

Hijikata jumped up and instantly ran to the girl. Reaching out, the person everyone dubbed a demon gently held back Chizuru's falling hair and waited for the sick girl to finish. Once it was over, Chizuru slumped over onto the porch with heavy breathing. Meanwhile, the girl's caretaker rubbed her back ever so slightly as he stared down at her with concerned eyes.

"You alright...?" His deep voice was a bit lighter in tone than usual and seemed shaken.

Chizuru tried to force out a smile despite how terrible she was feeling, "Y-Yes. Thank you very much..."

A chilling wind suddenly blew into the Shinsengumi's HQ, causing Chizuru to shiver painfully. Hijikata removed his overcoat, placed it around her shoulders, then picked the Devil up bridal-style. Chizuru's face instantly became a new shade of red.

"S-Sir, what are you-"

"Quiet." He ordered, taking the girl back into her room and laying her down, careful not to hurt or pinch her in the process, "I'll be right back. Try to relax until I return." With that, Hijikata left Chizuru to her lonesome yet again. A few minutes later, the warrior returned with a tray in hand.

A sweet smell lingered from the dishes on the tray, making Chizuru drool a little, "Sir, what is that?"

"You need to try and keep something in your stomach. And since you just lost whatever you had in it before, I made some light gruel that should go easy on your stomach." Hijikata placed the tray down and handed the girl a cup of green tea, "Drink that first. Then you can eat."

Chizuru didn't bother to argue and began sipping away at the steaming drink. She suppressed the urge to tell Hijikata how good the tea was, knowing it would just embarrass him. After that was finished, the younger girl tried to take the bowl with the gruel but was surprised by Hijikata holding up a spoon to her lips.

"Ahh..."

Hijikata showed no change in his stern expression, despite that he was appearing as if he would feed her himself, "Just shut up and eat. With that high fever, you'd most likely get dizzy while holding the bowl then spill it everywhere. It's easier on both of us this way."

Before the girl could argue, the spoon touched Chizuru's lips. Giving in, the girl parted her lips very lightly, letting the gruel seep into her mouth. It was tasteless yet delicious as well. She knew Hijikata had a wealth amount of medical knowledge, but Chizuru never thought that he could cook well too. A strong swordsman, kind yet strict leader, a good medicine maker, and a good cook too? No wonder so many of the Shinsengumi members respected and followed him. Plus he was very intelligent and handsome too-

"Hey!"

Chizuru snapped out of her daze to see an irritated Toshizo looking at her, holding the spoon up again, "Stop day-dreaming. Eat up, idiot."

Link pink dusted across the sick one's face but went unnoticed thanks to her fever. After the gruel was finished, Chizuru laid back down. She was just about to close her eyes when she felt the Shinsengumi's leader's present still beside her.

"H-Hijikata-san, you can go now. I think I'll be alright..."

"...Only a little longer."

Chizuru opened one eye at him, "Huh?"

Hijikata's expression softened to one that reminded her of Kondou-san. Her blush worsened and she peered up at him, noticing that his eyes held her reflection in their purple beauty. For some reason, the girl held her breath when he spoke again,

"I...don't want you getting sick again. Rather, it's better if someone is here with you if...you do throw up again." Hijikata averted his stare and furrowed his eyebrows down as if he were angry, "So just be quiet and ignore me. I'll leave once you fall asleep..."

Chizuru's eyes widened slightly when she spotted a very light blush also spreading over Hijikata's cheeks. For a moment, she was sure she was hallucinating but when she blinked, the blush was still there. Chizuru looked back to the dishes from the gruel and tea, and then to the medicine box that was by the door. The teen's heart skipped a few beats before an incredibly beautiful smile graced the Devil's lips.

"Than-"

"No need to thank me. Just go to sleep."

Chizuru giggled a little before letting out a happy sigh. It was only a little while later that the sick girl had fallen back into a deep sleep. Hijikata glanced down at the girl and felt a big wave of relief sweep over him when he felt her head.

"The fever's gone. The medicine worked..." The man ran fingers through his long bangs and smiled lightly to himself, "Good. Then she'll be okay..."

"Mmm...mmm...Hijikata-san..."

At hearing his name, the warrior jumped and shot a look back down at the girl. She couldn't have woken up already. She had just fallen asleep. Perhaps she was waking back up to throw up again.

"Chizuru?"

When the girl didn't answer and her eyes remained shut, Hijikata felt his heart slow down.

"Moron, don't scare me like..." Toshi oddly cocked a brow. The man leaned over so he could get a closer look at Chizuru's face. When he spotted a bit of drool on the corner of the girl's lips, he instantly covered his mouth.

Suddenly, a knock echoed from the door.

"Hijikata-san?" The door slid open, revealing Harada.

Coughing away his chuckle awkwardly, Hijikata jumped from his seat and tried to act serious, "What is it?"

Harada walked over to his leader and looked concernedly down at the Shinsengumi's sleeping princess, "Just wondered if she was feeling any better. Shinpachi may be able to act calm about this but I was tearing my hair out, wondering if she'd really be okay with that massive fever."

Hijikata crossed his arms and started towards the door, forgetting the tray and dishes. Harada looked down, spotting them then looked back to his leader in silent question.

"Well, don't worry so much. I gave the kid some medicine so she'll be fine. In fact her fever has already gone down quite a bit."

"That so?" Harada grinned from ear to ear when he realized what the dishes were from, "That's good to know then. But Hijikata-san..."

The Vice Commander was just about to walk out when he turned to look over his shoulder, "Hmm?"

Harada held back a laugh before pointing to the dishes and medicine box, "I think you're forgetting some things, 'nurse'."

Hijikata's eyes became the size of dots as veins popped up here and there all over his face and neck. He suppressed the urge to shout at the fool so as to not wake up Chizuru but gave Sano a quick kick to the thigh that sent him flying back into the hallway,

"OW!"

Hijikata scooped up the supplies and proceeded to stomp out of the room. When Harada managed to pick himself up, the leader shoved the tools into his hands before ordering him to take them to the kitchen. Harada hung his head as he walked away,

"Damn, can't even take an innocent joke..."

"What did you just say?!"

Harada flinched and began running down the hallway at the speed of light.

When he was out of sight, Hijikata sighed and fell back against the wall. He was sure he'd never felt so embarrassed in his life.

"So help me if Harada tells this to Kondou-san and the others, I'll never hear the end of it." Hijikata looked over to see he had yet to close Chizuru's door. With a low grunt, the adult grabbed hold of the door. He was about to slid it when his eyes locked back onto the peaceful Chizuru. The man stared for a long time, unknown to him, before his lips formed into a rare warm smile.

"Get well soon...Chizuru." With that, the Vice Commander shut the door, the smile still upon his face.

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**_Author's Comments: So, this didn't turn out how I wanted. Plus, I wrote it a little shorter than intended, which may be why the ending may seem too...quick at the end. Idk. Overall, I'm semi-happy with how this turned out. I didn't want to drag it on like I do my other fics. Plus, like I said, I have many more Hakuouki fics to write so this was just a quick one I came up with. Hope you guys liked. Reviews are appreciated.  
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